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What Are Your Thoughts On Spiked Closing Wheels?

Apr 28, 2011

Question: We are corn on corn farmers and constantly struggle with corn stalk butts getting lodged in our disc closers on our Kinze planter. We feel because of this we are doing a poor job of getting good seed to soil contact in spots where the stalks get lodged. We have been contemplating the idea of putting spiked closing wheels on from Shoup Manufacturing and were wondering what your thoughts are on spiked closing wheels or if there is something better we could do to minimize the lodging of stalks?

Answer: I would first look at trying to add floating row cleaners to the planter. The row cleaners will help move more trash out of the way of the row unit prior to making your V trench and closing. The spike closing wheels help the most when planting in wet conditions, reducing the amount of sidewall compaction. The danger of spike wheels is under drier conditions when we either get dry soil down in the seed trench and/or don’t get enough firming action around the seed. We have also had good success in conventional tillage corn on corn running floating row cleaners (no no-till coulter) and cast iron closing wheels.

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